When you have made the decision to take out a mortgage you need to have a clear method of calculating exactly how much you are able to pay

You can do this by performing a mortgage payment calculation. There are certain considerations when you calculate mortgage payment levels that suit you that you need to keep in mind: How much mortgage can I afford? What type of mortgage should I get? What kind of loan payment schedule suits me best?

As always it is best to start at the beginning. How much mortgage can I afford: This is an easy question to answer, but you must not delude yourself. Be completely honest! Look at your earnings and savings and your expenses. How will these be affected by a mortgage? Some expenses like rent will disappear when you are a homeowner but a mortgage will bring other expenses (you may have removal costs and you'll almost certainly have legal costs). An online financial calculator will allow you work out exactly how much you can afford to commit to in a mortgage.

Now you need to determine the type of mortgage which best suits your requirements. There are various types of mortgage but don't let this put you off - the choice makes it easier to find a mortgage that suits you best.

The two most common types of mortgages for homeowners (commercial mortgage rates are applied to business premises) are repayment mortgages and interest only mortgages. You can also have a combination of the two.

A repayment mortgage allows you to repay a part of the mortgage loan each and every month but an interest only mortgage just pays the interest and the capital loan remains the same. When you consider what type suits you remember that an interest only mortgage rate (always calculate loan interest as well) will be considerably smaller. Although this will appear attractive you will need to be able to pay of the rest of the loan at the end of your loan payment schedule. You can invest your money. But bear in mind that an investment which does not perform as expected may not cover the mortgage at the term end. You will need to get expert investment advice to make sure that the funds do grow with your mortgage.

When you have settled on a mortgage that suits you (you'll find a weekly mortgage calculator allows you to break your finances down better than a monthly breakdown) there are other still a few more things to consider. What are the exact costs when the mortgage closes? These might make the final amount you pay much higher - especially if you pay your mortgage offer quicker than the original loan payment schedule. Are you able to claim any discounts like small business tax deductions? What are the bank loan rates (an interest rate calculation will help you here)? You might also be affected by mortgage loan origination - check your mortgage provider is dealing with your mortgage themselves and not farming it out as this may increase the amount you pay. There are many different mortgage deals around so don't settle for the first one you find as there may be better offers available!

When you calculate mortgage payment levels that suit you should know what you can afford. After that it is easy to calculate a payment that is tailor made to suit you best.